Recipe #13 Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

What's not to love about hamburger, corn, peppers, rice and cheese?  This week's recipe is from Real Simple - and it was.  I substituted brown rice for white and used a colby jack cheese because I couldn't find just colby. I again used my beloved Montreal steak seasoning instead of kosher salt and pepper. I did not make a side dish, but a nice green salad and/or a nice baguette of bread would be a good addition.   I prepared this for a fussy friend who didn't think she would like stuffed peppers; she enjoyed them so much, she even took some home.  We had with a Founder's Estate Beringer Chardonnay.  Happy Cooking!

Real Photo:

Jonny Valiant

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1/2 pound ground beef chuck
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 4.5-ounce can chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack, grated (1 cup)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• salsa, for serving

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 375° F. Cook the rice according to the package directions.

2.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and beef and cook, breaking the beef up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, chilies, cumin, cooked rice, ½ cup of the Monterey Jack, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.

3.  Arrange the bell peppers, cut-side up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or pan. Divide the beef mixture among the bell peppers, add ½ cup water to the dish, tightly cover the dish with foil, and bake until the bell peppers are soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of Monterey Jack, and bake until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.

1. 4.  In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and ¼ cup water. Drizzle over the bell peppers and top with the salsa and scallion greens.
3. Recipe by Dawn Perry, February 2012

                                 

Nutritional Information

• Per Serving
• Calories 521

• Fat 20g
• Sat Fat 9g
• Cholesterol 60mg
• Sodium 574mg
• Protein 26g
• Carbohydrate 59g
• Sugar 7g
• Fiber 5g
• Iron 4mg
• Calcium 316mg

Quick Tip

The bell peppers can be stuffed up to 12 hours in advance; refrigerate, covered. Bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes to the portion of the baking time when the dish is covered.

Yummy!